Brandon Bass and the Boston Celtics host the Toronto Raptors in their preseason finale on Wednesday evening at TD Garden in Boston, MA. Boston beat Toronto, 76-75, on Sunday.
Event: Toronto Raptors (0-1) vs. Boston Celtics (1-0).
Date/Time: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 - 7:30 p.m. EDT.
Location: TD Garden (Capacity: 18,624), Boston, MA.
Broadcast Info: Wednesday night's preseason game between the Celtics and Raptors will be televised on Comcast SportsNet New England, with Mike Gorman, Tommy Heinsohn and Greg Dickerson serving as the broadcast team. The game will also be aired on the radio on the WEEI Sports Radio Network (93.7 FM/850 AM), with Sean Grande and Cedric maxwell calling all of the action.
Odds: There isn't a line on this game, but the Celtics are normally favored over Toronto.
Boston In 2010-11: Boston finished with a 56-26 record and were first in the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division, going 13-3 against divisional opponents. The Celtics breezed past the New York Knicks in a four-game sweep in the opening round of the playoffs, but the Miami Heat proved to be too much for the old and injured Celtics to handle.
Toronto In 2010-11: The Raptors were among the worst teams in the NBA last season, finishing with a 22-60 record and finished fifth (dead last) in the Atlantic Division, going 5-11 against teams in their own division.
Celtics Roster: Guards -Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Keyon Dooling, Gilbert Brown (G-F), Marquis Daniels (G-F), E'Twaun Moore. Forwards - Brandon Bass, Kevin Garnett, JaJuan Johnson, Paul Pierce (F-G), Michael Sweetney, Sasha Pavlovic (F-G). Centers - Jermaine O'Neal (C-F), Jamal Sampson (C-F), Greg Stiemsma.
Raptors Roster: Guards - Leandro Barbosa, Jerryd Bayless, Jose Calderon, Anthony Carter, DeMar DeRozan (G-F). Forwards - Rasual Butler, Ed Davis, Gary Forbes, Amir Johnson, James Johnson, Linas Kleiza (F-G). Centers - Solomon Alabi, Andrea Bargnani(C-F), Aaron Gray, Jamaal Magloire.
Last Time Out: Greg Stiemsma hit the game-winning bucket with 12 seconds remaining to lead the Celtics to a 76-75 win over the Raptors on Sunday in the preseason opener for both teams. Ray Allen scored 12 points, Marquis Daniels added 11 points and Kevin Garnett finished with nine points and seven rebounds to pace Boston. Andrea Bargnani led all scorers with 16 points and nine rebounds and DeMar DeRozan added 14 points for Toronto.
Storyline: Once again, the score is meaningless Wednesday night when the C's and Raptors meet in the last preseason game. For Doc Rivers and the Celtics, this will be the final chance to see which back-end players can make the roster, with Greg Stiemsma, Gilbert Brown, Michael Sweetney and Jamal Sampson all likely on the chopping block. As of now, it would seem like Stiemsma and Brown are safe, but tonight's game could go a long ways towards deciding who stays and who goes. Expect to see some time for the starters - minus Paul Pierce - but not too many minutes.
Prediction: As far as a score is concerned (and again, it really doesn't matter), this game will likely be close -- seeing how Sunday's game was close, too. I'll give the Celtics a slight edge. Final Score: Celtics 81, Raptors 76.
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